The diverse group of about 100 people comprised Singer employees and retirees, union supporters, college students and employees from other health care agencies also facing cuts.

Singer hit the chopping block last fall but earned a reprieve when state money was shuffled to keep it open. Gov. Pat Quinn put it back on the list in February, and it’s set to close Oct. 31.

State officials and community mental health leaders have been in talks for the past few months to figure out where Singer patients will go once it closes. The initial plan includes adding crisis and triage beds in the region so more patients can access emergency psychiatric services.

Phil Eaton, president and CEO of Rosecrance Health Network, said those meetings are ongoing and that when Singer closes, there will be a “very real need for expanded community-based services.”

“To the best of our knowledge, the state plans to close Singer sometime in October,” he said in a statement. “That’s what we’ve been told, and we haven’t heard anything different.”

Bonnie Falzone-Capriola of Rockford attended the rally today in support of her son, Barry Falzone, who died last year after struggling with mental illness and drug addiction. She carried a picture of Barry with her and said she tried to get him admitted to Singer with no luck.

“This facility is very needed,” Falzone-Capriola said. “I know, being a loved one of a mentally ill person, how they desperately need services.”

She said her son’s drug addiction was killing him, but he needed mental health services to help overcome the addiction.

She, and several others, support keeping Singer open in partnership with community agencies to treat mentally ill people of all acuity levels.

Linda Kobler, a registered nurse who’s worked at Singer for 40 years, said it accepts patients from 23 Illinois counties, and closing it and other centers will develop “psychiatric ghettos” in the state.

“This is going to be an absolute disaster if Singer closes,” she said. “And I think what will happen, it’ll take about two weeks for them to realize it’s been a big mistake.”

Frank Hillman and fellow employees from Elgin Mental Health Center also attended today’s rally. Hillman, a leader with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 26, said supporters will continue to fight the state’s closure of Singer.

Court-ordered patients — either found mentally unfit for trial or not guilty by reason of insanity — could be transferred to Elgin or Chicago once Singer closes.

“This is not the right thing to do,” Hillman said. “We are going to continue this fight no matter what anyone says because this facility is needed. There is a place for Singer Mental Health Center. There is a need. It’s not over until it’s over, and we’re here to make sure facilities like Singer stay open.

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“The community needs this facility. It’s not about dollars. It’s about human lives. We’re not giving up, period.”